I wonder how small Witkoff et al think Ukraine could be, before it would cease to be viable?

I strongly oppose that too! But I don’t see any mainstream UK party deporting Russian dissidents or deserters to Russia.

Leaders have to take voters with them. Politically, you can't survive spending 3.5 - 5 per cent of GDP on defence & resilience, cutting other things to pay for it, without explaining to voters the consequences of not spending it - at a time when the threat is serious & your allies are unserious.

Personally, I prefer Arial. Surprised someone in the White House hasn't suggested Old German Gothic...

You would need an effective deterrent on the Ukrainian side. In the case of Korea, the deterrent is c 25,000 US troops, with US nuclear weapons also in S Korea until 1991 (now they're just in the background). It's unlikely that Putin would try his luck against a similar Western force in UA.

If it can't be trusted (& I agree, it can't), then it must be deterred from violating any agreement. That means something a lot more concrete than the 'coalition of the willing' has been ready to offer so far.

Germany is doing a lot to rebuild its conventional forces. I do not think it would be wise to suggest it shd also develop its own nuclear deterrent - Europe does not need nuclear proliferation (wd Poland follow Germany?). But the UK & France shd make clear that their umbrella covers all allies.